Power augmenting drive means for ironing machines



W. H. BRADLEY July 31, 1951 POWER AUGMENTING DRIVE MEANS FOR IRONING MACHINES 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 51, 1945 Juiy 31, 1951 w. H. BRADLEY 2,562,349

POWER AUGMENTI NG DRIVE MEANS FOR IRONING MACHINES Filed Oct. 31, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 July 31, 1%] H RADLEY 2,562,349

POWER AUGMENTING DRIVE MEANS FOR IRONING MACHINES Filed Oct. 31, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 izuezza or .BY J

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fllor Patented July 31, 1951 POWER AUGMENTING DRIVE MEANS FOR IRONING MACHINES William H. Bradley, Fort Wayne, Ind., assignor to Horton Manufacturing Company, Fort Wayne, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Application October 31, 1945, Serial No. 625,833

13 Claims.

The invention relates generally to ironing machines and more particularly to an ironing machine of the character shown in my copending application Serial No. 540,672, filed June 16, 1944.

The ironing machine shown in said copending application is of the type having a pair of relatively shiftable ironing elements comprising a roll and a shoe, and a motor-operated drive mechanism for rotating the roll and for shifting one of said elements toward and from the other. In the specific form illustrated, the shoe is the shiftable element. For shifting the shoe, the drive mechanism includes a power-operated cam means engaged by and actuating a lever constituting part of the shoe shifting mechanism.

In ironing machines of this type, the support for the shoeusually includes a springfor resiliently holding the shoe in engagement with the roll. Such spring tends to resist the drive when the shoe is being shifted toward the roll, thus increasing the load on the motor, and to .cause the drive to overrun when the shoe is shifted away from the roll. To overcome these difficulties, the machine shown in said application is provided with a device adapted to receive and store energy from the drive mechanism when the shoe is moving away from the roll, and to impart such energy to the drive when the shoe is moving toward the roll. Thus, overrunning of the drive is prevented in the second instance and the load on the motor is decreased in the first. For this reason, a smaller size motor than -would otherwise be possible may be employed,

and the machine will operate smoothly.

The present invention has for its general object the provision of a new and improved ironing machine having an energy storing device which provides an effective braking action, when the shoe is moving away from the roll, to prevent overrunning, and which augments the power of the motor when the load therein would otherwise be the greatest.

More specifically, an object of the invention is to provide a novel ironing machine having an energy storing device adapted to absorb energy from the drive during the period when the shoe is moving away from the roll, and to effectively return said energy to the drive at that portion WhiQ i Figure 1 is an end view of an ironing machine embodying the features of the invention.

Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are sectional views of a portion of the shoe shifting mechanism and showing the parts in various positions.

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are views similar to Figs. 2, 3 and 4, but showing a modified form of the shoe shifting mechanism. 7

An ironing machine of the type disclosed in said copending application, and illustrated herein,

comprises a base Ill provided at one end with a head I! housing a motor-operated drive for rotating a roll l2. Mounted within the base Ill in the rear portion thereof is a rock shaft I3 carrying a support [4 for a shoe [5. The motoroperated drive mechanism housed within the head II is also arranged to rock the shaft [3 and thereby shift the shoe I5 toward and from the roll [2. The support [4 includes a spring I6 adapted to urge the shoe l5 toward the rollwhen the two are in operative relation. The details of the support l4 and the manner in which the spring l6 urges the shoe i5 toward the roll l2 are substantially the same as are shown and described in my copending application and, therefore, need not be described herein.

The motor-operated drive mechanism includes a pinion 20 carried by the motor for driving gearing connected through a clutch for rotating the roll [2. The details of such gearing and clutch form no part of the present invention and, therefore, my copending application may be referred to for a disclosure thereof.

The motor-operated drive mechanism also includes a constantly driven toothed member 21 adapted to be connected to the shoe shifting mechanism at the will of the operator. Thus, I provide a clutch finger 22 adapted to engage and to be disengaged from the toothed member 2| and carried b a rotatable disk 23. The disk 23 is connected, through suitable gearing, with a cam 24 adapted to actuate a lever or cam follower 25 constituting a portion of the shoe shifting mechanism. ,The cam 24, is of the plural-lobed type and engages aroller 26 carried on the end of the cam follower 25. The clutch finger 22 is adapted, when permitted to engage the toothed member 2|, to rotate through one revolution and then to be automatically disconnected. Thus, the disk 23 may be intermittently driven through one revolution, and the gearing connecting the disk 23 with the cam 24 is so proportioned that the cam 2:1 turns through one-eighth of a revolution for each revolution of the disk 23. Thu the cam follower 25 will move from a low point on the cam 24 to a high point thereon, or from a high point to a low point, each time that the disk 23 makes one revolution. It is obvious that with this arrangement the shoe will be shifted either toward the roll or away from the roll with each revolution of the disk 23.

As pointed out in my copending application, when the shoe 15 is being moved toward the roll, the first part of the movement does not require a great deal of power, However, when the spring it of the shoe support [4 is being placed under load to urge the shoe it toward the roll I2, the load on the motor is at its peak. When the shoe I5 is shifted away from the roll, the pressure in the spring l6 tends to drive the mechanism and hence has a tendency to cause an overrunning of the clutch finger 22 relative to the toothed memher it. Obviously, during this portion of the cycle, the load on the motor is very small.

in my copending application, I disclose an energy storing device adapted to receive energy from the drive during the period when the shoe is being shifted away from the roll and the spring H5 is tending to cause an overrunning of the clutch. The energy storing device thus provides a braking action which prevents such overrun. When the shoe is next being shifted toward the roll, the energy storing device is arranged to return the energy so stored, to assist or augment the drive in moving the shoe toward the roll. Thus, assistance is given to the motor during the period at which it would otherwise be undergoing a peak load. The size of the motor, therefore, may be reduced, and the prevention of any tendency of the clutch to overrun provides a smoothly running machine.

The present invention relates to a new and improved energy storing device arranged to increase the effectiveness of the return of energy stored therein, at the time that the spring i6 is being compressed and the load on the motor would otherwise be at its peak. To this end, I provide an energy-storing device in the form of a pawl 30 pivotally supported at one end, as indicated at 3|, in the housing structure and bearing against the cam 24 to receive energy therefrom and to return energy thereto. Bearing against one side of the pawl is a plunger 32 mounted in a socket 33 provided in the housing structure.

The plunger 32 is preferably tubular in form to receive a spring 34 tending to force the plunger outwardly from the socket 33 and, therefore, to swing the pawl 33 in a clockwise direction, as illustrated in the drawings. The spring 34 is seated against a threaded plug 35 at the rear end of the socket 33 so that the pressure on the spring may be adjusted.

Intermediate the ends of the pawl 30 is a rounded portion 36 adapted to abut against one lobe of the cam 24. When the shoe I5 is in engagement with the roll, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2,the rounded portion 36 of the pawl engages the lobe of the cam next to the one which is operating the lever or cam follower 25. Rotation of the cam 24 is in a clockwise direction, as illustrated in these figures, so that as the cam rotates to permit movement of the shoe away from the roll, the roller 26 on the cam follower 25 will move from a high point on the cam to a low point as illustrated in Fig. 3. During this period of movement, the cam shifts the pawl in a counterclockwise direction to force the plunger 32 into the socket 33 and thus compress the spring 34. Energy is thereby stored in the spring 34, and the resistance offered by such spring in being compressed is sufiicient to prevent the clutch from overrunning due to the action of the spring [6 in the shoe support. During this movement, the clutch finger 22 has been rotated through one revolution, at the completion of which it is disengaged.

W'hen it is desired to move the shoe up to the roll for ironing, the clutch finger 22 is caused to be re-engaged, and the cam 24 is driven through one-eighth of a turn to cause the roller 26 on the cam follower 25 to move from the low point as shown in Fig. 3 to the high point as shown in Fig. 2. However, shortly prior to the completion of such movement, force is required to compress the spring it in the shoe support, and the point at which such compression starts is illustrated in Fig. l. At this point of the cycle, the point of contact between the cam and the pawl 30 has shifted to the free or extreme end of the pawl and the inwardly directed surface of the cam lobe, as will be noted in Fig. 4. The force of the spring 34, therefore, causes the pawl 30 to 11love along the inwardly directed surface of the cam lobe to produce a highly effective camming action for driving the cam forwardly. Such camming action of the pawl 30 on the cam 24 obviously arises from the fact that the inwardly directed surface of the cam lobe makes only a small angle with the direction of movement of the end or point of the pawl, which angle may be termed the camming angle. Moreover, a relatively large part of the movement of the pawl is effected during a very small angular movement of the cam. Thus, the spring 34 expends its energy previously stored therein to drive the cam and thereby assist the motor during the period when the load is at its highest due to compressing the spring !5. The pawl 38 is, therefore, effective to return energy to the gearing at the time when 1e load would otherwise be at its peak, and to absorb the energy from the drive when the shoe is being moved away from the roll.

In the form of energy storing device shown in Figs. 5, 6 and '7, I have shown a construction wherein substantially all of the energy stored in the device during the movement of the shoe away from the roll is utilized to augment the drive when the spring to is being compressed. Thus, when energy i stored in the device during movement of the shoe away from the roll, it is not released to assist the drive until the point in the movement of the parts when the spring It starts to be compressed. To this end, I provide a cam means in the form of a pair of cams rotating together but with one arranged to shift the shoe and the other to operate the energy storing device.

As shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, one of the cams, indicated at 24, is the same shape as the cam utilized in the previous form and is adapted to actuate the cam follower 25 to cause shifting of the shoe. Adjacent cam 21; is a second cam 40, the cams being mounted on and secured, to the same shaft and, therefore, rotating together. The cam 48 cooperates with a pawl 41' pivotally mounted as 42. The pawl 4! is engaged by a plunger 43 mounted in a socket similarly to the previous form and pressed outwardly by means of a spring Ml. The pawl 45 has a rounded portion 45 intermediate its ends which engages the cam 40 when the shoe is being moved away from the roll. The position of the parts when the shoe is fully engaged with the roll is shown in Fig. 5. while the position of such parts when the shoe is moved away from the roll is shown in Fig. 6.

'During such movement, the rounded portion 45 of the pawl 4| is in engagement with the cam 40.

When the shoe is moved toward the roll, the por- "tion 45 continues in contact with the-cam 40, and

the latter is so shaped that the spring 44 is held substantially in its fully compressed condition until that part of the movement where the spring i6 is to be compressed. The position of the parts at this time is shown in Fig. 7. During the compression of the spring IS, a point 46 on the cam 40 moves along a surface 41 on the pawl, and the angle of the surface 4'! is such that, by expansion of the spring 44, a highly effective camming action is produced on the cam to drive it forwardly.

From the foregoing, it will be noted that the spring 44 is energized during the period when "the shoe is moving away-from the roll. It will also be noted that the energy so stored in the spring 44 is retained therein during the first part of the movement of the shoe toward the roll when the load on the motor is still relatively light. However, when the load on the motor tends to be increased to compress the spring I6, the energy stored in the spring 44 is released to produce a camming action to augment or assist the drive. Thus, substantially all of the energy stored is utilized during the period when the load on the motor would otherwise be at it peak.

I claim: 1. In an ironing machine comprising a pair of relatively shiftable ironing elements and resilient means for yieldably urging one of said elements toward the other when the two are in operative -relation, mechanism for shifting one of said elements comprising power-driven cam means, and

a cam follower engaging said cam means and connected with the shiftable element through said resilient means, a pivoted pawl also engaging said cam means and movable thereby, and a spring means engaging said pawl and adapted to be energized by movement of said pawl by said cam means when the shiftable element is moving away from the other element and to assist in driving-said cam means by its pressure against said pawl when the shiftable element is moving toward the other element.

2. In an ironing machine comprising a pair of I relatively shiftable ironing elements and resilient means for yieldably urging one of said elements toward the other when the two are in operative relation, mechanism for shiftin one of said ele-- ments comprising power-driven cam means, and a cam follower engaging said cam means and connected with the shiftable element through said resilient means, and a spring-pressed pawl also engaging said cam means and adapted to be energized by said cam means when the shiftable element is moving away from the other element and to assist in driving said cam means when the shiftable element is moving toward the other element, said cam means and said pawl having different camming angles in different portions thereof to increase the effectiveness of said pawl on said cam means when said resilient means is being placed under load.

6 adapted to be energized by said cam means when the shiftable element is moving away from the other. element and to assist in driving said cam means when the shiftable element is moving toward the other element, said cam means and said pawl having a camming angle, during the last-mentioned movement of the shiftable element, which decreases when said resilient means is being placed under load to increase the effectiveness of said pawl in driving said cam means.

4. In an ironing machine comprising a pair of relatively shiftable ironing elements and resilient means for yieldably urging one of said elements toward the other when the two are in operative relation, mechanism for shifting one of said elements comprising power-driven cam means, and a cam follower engaging said cam means and connected with the shiftable element through said resilient means, a pivoted pawl also engaging said cam means and adapted to be swung thereby in one direction when the shiftable element is moving away from the other element and to have a camming action on said cam means when swung in the opposite direction, and a spring-pressed plunger opposing such swinging movement and swinging said pawl in said opposite direction, when the shiftable element is moving toward the other element, to assist in driving said cam means.

5. In an ironing machine comprising a pair of relatively shiftable ironing elements and a spring for yieldably urging one of said elements toward the other when the two are in operative relation, mechanism forv shifting one of said elements comprising power-driven cam means, and a cam follower engaging said cam means and connected with the shiftable element through said spring, and springepressed pawl means also engaging said cam means and adapted to be energized by said cam means when the shiftable element is moving away from the other element and to assist in driving said cam means when the shiftable element is moving toward the other element, one of said means having a point engaging and movable along a surface on the other means to produce a highly eifective camming action when said spring is being placed under load.

6. In an ironing machine comprising a pair :of relatively shiftable ironing elements and a spring for yieldably urging one of said elements toward the other when the two are in operative relation, mechanism for shifting one of said elements comprising power-driven cam means, a cam follower connected with the shiftable element through said spring, and a spring-pressed pawl pivotally supported at one end and engaging said cam means to be energized thereby when the shiftable element is moving away from the other element and to assist in driving said cam means when the shiftable element is moving toward the other element, said pawl engaging the cam gagement of said pawl with said cam means shifting to the free end of said pawl when said spring is being placed under load.

'7. In an ironing machine comprising a pair of relatively shiftable ironing elements and a spring for yieldably urging one of said elements toward the other when the two are in operative relation, mechanism for shifting one of said elements cpmprising power-driven cam means, and a cam follower engaging said cam means and connected with the shiftable element through said spring, a pawl pivotally supported at one end and having a camming engagement with said cam means, a plunger bearing against said pawl, a spring tending to resist movement of said plunger away from said pawl whereby said spring is energized when the shiftable element moves away from the other element and effects a camming action by said pawl on said cam means when the sliiftable element moves toward the other element, and means for adjusting the pressure of said spring.

8. In an ironing machine comprising a pair of relatively shiftable ironing elements and a spring for yieldably urging one of said elements toward the other when the two are in operative relation, mechanism for shifting one of said elements comprising a power-driven cam, a cam follower connected with the shiftable element through said spring, and a spring-pressed pawl engaged by said cam intermediate the ends of the pawl during the movement of the shiftable element away from the other and during the first portion of the movement toward the other, the free end of the pawl being a point engaging and moving along a surface on the cam when said spring is being loaded to produce a highly effective camming action to assist in driving the cam.

9. In an ironing machine comprising a pair of relatively shiftable ironing elements and a spring for yieldably urging one of said elements toward the other when the two are in operative relation, mechanism for shifting one of said elements comprising power-driven cam means comprising a pair of cams jointly movable, and a cam follower connected with the shiftable element through said spring and engaging one of said cams, and a spring-pressed pawl engaging the other of said cams and adapted to be energized by said cam means when the shiftable element is moving away from the other element and to assist in driving said cam means when the shiftable element is moving toward the other element.

10. In an ironing machine comprising a pair of relatively shiftable ironing elements and a spring for yieldably urging one of said elements toward the other when the two are in operative relation,

mechanism for shifting one of said elements com- 5 prising power-driven cam means comprising a pair of cams jointly movable, and a cam follower connected with the shiftable element through said spring and engaging one of said cams, and

an energy storing device in operative engagement with the other cam to receive energy from said other cam when the shiftable element is moving away from the other element and cooperating with said other cam to utilize substantially all the energy so received to drive the cam means when said spring is being placed under load.

11. In an ironing machine comprising a pair of relatively shiftable ironing elements and a spring for yieldably urging one of said elements toward the other when the two are in operative relation, mechanism for shifting one of said elements comprising power-driven cam means comprising a pair of cams jointly movable, and a cam follower connected with the shiftable ele- ,ment through said spring and engaging one of .the other element, the cam engaged by said pawl having a portion thereafter maintaining said pawl substantially fully energized during the first part ofthe movement of the shiftable element toward the other and releasing the energy to assist in driving the cam when said spring is being placed under load.

12. In an ironing machine comprising a pair of relatively shiftable ironing elements and a spring for yieldably urging one of said elements toward the other when the two are in operative relation, mechanism for shifting one of said elements comprising power-driven cam means, a cam follower connected with the shiftable element through said spring and actuated by said cam means, and an energy-storing device adapted to have energy stored therein by said cam means when the shiftable element moves away from the other element and to have the energy so stored released by said cam means only when said spring is being placed under load, said device and said cam means being so mounted as to apply the released energy to said cam means to assist in driving said cam means.

13. In an ironing machine comprising a pair of relatively shiftable ironing elements and a spring for yieldably urging one of said elements toward the other when the two are in operative relation, mechanism acting through said spring for shifting the shiftable element and including rotary means and means operatively connecting said rotary means to said shiftable element, a power drive, means for connecting said power drive to said mechanism at the will of the operator, and an energy-storing device in operative engagement with said rotary means to be energized when the shiftable element moves away from the other element, said rotary means including cam means comprising two successive camming portions, one of which maintains means for maintaining said device substantially fully energized during the first part of the movement of the shiftable element toward the other and the other of which releases the energy to assist said power drive during the latter part of said movement when said spring is being placed under load.

WILLIAM H. BRADLEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent! UNITED STATES PATENTS 

